


I just can't help it

by Alter_E, ddaydream



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Valentine's Day, oblivious pining idiots, tender gay hand holding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-26 11:53:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22701145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alter_E/pseuds/Alter_E, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ddaydream/pseuds/ddaydream
Summary: Daniel gets stood up on Valentine's Day. Kevin's there to save the evening.
Relationships: Daniel Condren/Kevin O'Reilly
Comments: 6
Kudos: 122





	I just can't help it

**Author's Note:**

> The usual RPF Disclaimer (even though some of you guys are illiterate anyway and spam this in RT's chat): Yes, this is a thing. Yep, I'm writing fanfic for these two. No, don't drag this fic kicking and screaming into the actual real people's face, leave this alone in the weird corner my dude. 
> 
> And to all of the illiterate people who still spam this in RT's chat: g fucking g! Proud of yourself yet? Proud of your illiterate ass yet bruv? Thought so lol
> 
> Other than that, happy Valentine's.

It’s 8:30. 

It’s 8:30, and Daniel’s sitting in a restaurant, alone. Now, he’s not the kind of guy to worry about eating alone or something, if you want to go out and eat you do, but right now it’s part awkward, part embarrassing and part upsetting.

Normally, he would not worry. Normally, he doesn’t have a date either. And normally, it isn’t Valentine’s day. 

It’s fucking Valentine, and his date is late by an hour. He checks the chat conversation for the fifth time this evening and the text of her saying “7:30 sounds good!” stares back at him, unchanging. He thinks about ringing her again, but what’s the fucking point really? He has been sent to voicemail 3 times already, and the situation is obvious by now.

He’s been stood up, hasn’t he?

Daniel curses under his breath, pinching the bridge of his nose and groans. Of course, of fucking course he has. He takes out the wallet and slams a few notes on the table, before standing up and walking out of the place. No need to sit there for another hour and embarrass himself more, as if sitting there alone while other people are having the time of their life around him with their candle-lit dinner isn’t painful enough.

The cold air outside clears his head somewhat, and he stands there for a moment just to gather his thoughts. There are still couples around him, walking hand in hand and laughing, and he hates it- wait, no- He’s just being irrational right now, being stood up doesn’t give him a pass on being a bitch.

He’s- he’s ok. Daniel takes a deep breath in, and when he exhales white mists colours the air around him. It’s just a stupid corporate holiday that profits off of chocolate and roses and whatnot, he shouldn’t be mad about this. 

He really shouldn’t, Daniel tells himself for...he doesn’t even want to count really. It’s not a Wooloos stream, but it is as repetitive as one. He half wants to do a stream right now actually, just so he doesn’t feel so alone and has something to do other than wallowing in self-pity, but the mood just isn't there. 

Fuck, a great night he’s having.

He pulls out his phone again, and the text messages look back at him. Daniel grits his teeth, typing out a single “We’re done” and then blocking her number. It’s a dick move, but it leaves him with the tiniest amount of satisfaction that makes him smile. Good fucking riddance, really. He has a feeling the relationship was going to fall anyway, and maybe the Valentine’s date was the last hope of saving it, but now, he doesn’t want to care.

He doesn’t care, it’s fine. 

Yep, definitely a repetitive night. 

He needs a drink and something to take his mind of life that’s not the Twitch chat who will probably shame him over not having a date on Valentine’s. His friends are probably on their own lovey-dovey dates right now, and a quick check on Insta confirms it. He gives himself another minute of scrolling through the feed, pausing at Kevin’s newest photo and chuckles. God, Kevin’s Insta is so weird that the picture of him dumping a bunch of discount chocolate in a basket is relatively tame compared to that one with him facing the wall as a mic takes up most of the frame, and right-

Kevin’s not on a date. 

Chances are he’s at home right now, enjoying himself and Daniel doesn’t realise he has pulled up Kevin’s number until his thumb’s half-hovering on the call button. Kevin’s probably just relaxing and he doesn’t want to interrupt whatever his friend’s doing, but that selfish part of his brain is acting up more so than usual and Daniel swears again before pressing call.

Fuck it, really.

* * *

Kevin tosses the plastic grocery store bag he was holding onto the kitchen table. A few boxes of chocolate and candy spill out; one hits the floor and slides across the tiles. Kevin just laughs. It’s Valentine’s Day, a.k.a. “Eat Discount Chocolate and Watch Netflix Day”, and he’s in a surprisingly good mood considering the fact that he’s spending it alone. He dumps the boxes into a basket, snaps a picture, and puts it on Instagram with the caption ‘Going absolutely mad for Valentine’s Day this year guys’. 

He takes a box of chocolate with him to the living room and flops onto the couch. His ‘Watch Later’ list is especially curated for this moment. He loves a bad movie just as much as he loves a bad video game, so naturally, the list is full of terrible-looking rom-com. Before he picks one, though, he goes through Twitter for a few moments. Someone’s tagged him in some amazing fanart, and he drops a quick like before exiting the app. 

Though now that he’s on his phone, he can’t help but look at his text messages. Whatsapp is open to his conversation with Daniel from that morning. He feels a slight pang of sadness when he re-reads them because Dan must be on that date he mentioned by now. It’s not that Kevin hopes that it doesn’t go well, but there’s an ugly part of him deep down that wishes Dan wasn’t doing anything either. It would be nice to have some company - or, rather, it would be nice to have Daniel’s company. 

He forces himself to push the thought out of his mind and picks up his remote. He’s got a good night planned, and he doesn’t want to dwell on all the miserable pining he’s been doing for the past few months.

He’s about halfway through _ The Kissing Booth _(which sucks, exactly according to plan) when his phone buzzes. Daniel’s name is at the top of the screen. Kevin frowns. It was only 8:45. Daniel should be halfway through his date right now. He’s slightly worried that it’s an accidental call or Dan’s getting murdered or something, but he hits accept anyways and brings his phone to his ear.

“Hey, man, what’s up?” he says. 

“Hey, Kevin. Um... How are you?” Daniel says. Kevin swears his voice is wavering slightly. 

“I’m good, I’m good. Wait, aren’t you supposed to be on a date?” Kevin says, hoping that it sounds as if he’s only just remembered. “Dude, get back out there! Why are you calling me?”

Daniel chuckles. “Ah. Okay, this is kind of embarrassing, but, um, she didn’t show up.”

Oh. Kevin covers his mouth with his hand. “Oh, shit. Dan, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Daniel says, although it definitely doesn’t sound fine. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have interrupted your night.”

“No, dude, don’t worry about it,” Kevin says. He glances at his TV, which is paused on some dramatic confession scene that he’s decidedly not invested in at all. “I’m really not up to anything.”

"You just having a night in, or...?”

Kevin sighs and pops another chocolate in his mouth. “Yup.”

“Oh. Cool.”

“I, uh, I don’t suppose you’d want to come over?” Kevin says. He means it in a friendly way, but he realizes a second too late that Daniel will probably think he’s implying something more.

_Would he even mind if Daniel thought that, though? _

“Yeah, sure,” Daniel says. “Not like I’ve got anything else to do.”

That wasn’t the enthusiastic response Kevin was hoping for, but it’ll do. “Awesome. Well, head on over whenever you’re ready.”

“See you.”

As soon as Daniel hangs up, Kevin tips his head back and lets out a long groan. Asking Daniel over feels like way more of a risky impulse decision than it should be, and for some reason, he feels like a massive idiot for suggesting it.

After giving himself a few moments to wallow in his own stupidity, he turns the TV off and gathers up the paper wrappers from around the couch and floor. His heart rate has already picked up, though he can’t say whether it’s from anxiety or excitement. It’s definitely not a good sign that even just talking to Dan leaves him feeling so damn _ nervous _. 

He really, really hopes he doesn’t do anything else stupid tonight. 

* * *

That panned out better than Daniel can ever hope for. He pockets his phone with a small smile. He was ready for Kevin to say he’s busy, because a guy like Kevin definitely has someone and the Insta post could’ve just been him fucking around, but apparently not.

He takes a sharp left instead of going right and back to his place. He’s not quite skipping down the pavement but his steps aren’t as miserable as they were and he’s just a bit more excited to hang out with Kevin because who wouldn’t? Kevin’s amazing, both as an entertainer and a friend. Maybe they can curse each other out on Mario Kart or watching some dumb shows with Kevin adding his brand of commentary and ruining the supposedly dramatic scene.

His evening’s already getting better, and he’s not even at Kevin’s yet. So he speeds up, the walking turns into a light jog with him avoiding other couples and bouncing impatiently at the red light, and then the jog turns into a sprint when he sees the familiar road sign.

He’s excited, fucking sue him.

When he’s actually at Kevin’s doorsteps, his breathing is uneven and, okay, maybe running like a maniac wasn’t the best idea he’s ever had. And maybe he needs to start exercising soon, he’s horribly out of shape, but that’s a thought for tomorrow. Tonight, he stands up properly and presses on the doorbell, and waits.

Daniel hears his footsteps first, then the door swings open, Kevin’s wide grin greeting him. He looks exactly like someone who has no plan for Valentine’s Day would look like, his hair a mess and his casual clothing rumpled and definitely more comfortable-looking than Daniel’s suit. 

“Well, someone’s had a rough night,” Kevin greets him, half teasing but with a worried undertone there too, a silent check-up that somehow warms him up just a bit. 

“Maybe,” He breathes out. “Sorry, for uh, calling you out of the blue like that.”

“It’s fine, like I said, I’m not up to anything,” Kevin shrugs, letting him in and closing the door softly behind him. He’s been to Kevin’s place before, and it hasn’t changed much since the last time he visited except for the pile of chocolate on the table. The discounted chocolate, of course. “I’ve just been, as they say, Netflix and Chilling.”

He absently nods, sitting down on the couch and Kevin follows moments later, throwing him the Switch console. “I don’t think you would the kind of guy to watch bad rom-com, so-” 

Daniel shrugs. “Depends, how bad is it?”

“Very bad,” Kevin answers, sending him a smirk and he chuckles. “Really, I’m doing us both a favour by turning that off.”

“Why have you been watching this then?”

“Because I hate myself.”

Both of them snicker this time, and it takes so much longer to actually connect up the Switch when Kevin keeps making jokes and him needing a minute to calm down from laughing too hard. It’s even terrible, cheesy jokes most of the time, and god- he would never get to experience it on his date huh? He doesn’t think he would laugh this much actually, spending time in the restaurant. 

This is nice, and he unwraps another chocolate bar, letting Kevin take a bite first before munching on it himself as the familiar Mario Kart menu music starts up. He shifts his position, holding the consoles loosely but Kevin’s giving him a look that’s challenging and oh, it is on.

“I’m gonna wipe the floor with you,” He says, locking Waluigi before Kevin can even get close to choosing him. Kevin settles for baby Daisy instead probably because he knows he hates her, and it is definitely on. 

“Whatever you say, Condren,” Kevin fires back. “You won’t be hard to beat.”

“Oh please, you clearly haven’t seen me play, then.”

Kevin smiles and says “I like a challenge” with a weird tone and shit- what the fuck was that and why are his palms suddenly sweaty like he’s nervous or something. He’s not. 

“So I’ve noticed,” is all he says back, keeping a grip on how the words come out and priding himself when it doesn’t sound too shaky or hoarse. Kevin lets out a laugh, shifting the mood from whatever the fuck that was to casual again, and Daniel sighs. “Shall we?”

“Yeah, let’s go,” Kevin says, turning so that he’s facing the screen again and Daniel gives him one final look before turning forward too. 

Kevin wins the first round because Daniel’s brain is still looping the “I like a challenge” and how his last name rolls off Kevin’s tongue, but he blames the controller connection because there’s no way he will actually admit that aloud. Kevin gives him a smug shit-eating grin, and Daniel flips him off before they go again. 

He wins the second round if only because he keeps bumping into Kevin, both in-game and real life just to throw him off balance, and Kevin nudges him back. When the race ends, they’re sitting considerably closer than before, knees touching, and Daniel tries not to let that get to him as much as it should. 

He fails at both ignoring how close Kevin is (there’s a certain warmth from him that makes Daniel want to lean in closer) and getting first place next round. 

But Kevin’s laughing as he sends Daniel a blue shell, and maybe that sound is enough for him to not be a sore loser, because really, who could stay mad at that voice? And then he pauses because his train of thought is going places today, places where it should not go and he curses quietly under his breath.

Daniel, as it turns out, is not so good at ignoring Kevin, taking in his appearance as the soft blue light from the TV illuminates lights up his hair. 

Okay, he’s just being a dick now, compensating for a lost date. Which is part sad, part pathetic. 

So he does what he always does, and gives Mario Kart his all so that he doesn’t have to think about it and let himself get lost in the sharp turns and drifting and Kevin’s still leaning on him, toning down his aggressive playing and just chill. He gets another chocolate bar at some points too, breaking a square and bringing it up to Daniel’s mouth. The gesture is sweet, but the chocolate tastes a bit bitter on his tongue. He doesn’t say anything because Kevin’s giving him another piece and he can put up with some bitterness in his life.

They do get bored of Mario Kart at some point though, so Kevin suggests switching over to Cuphead, and they do another round of that, and then Splatoon before Daniel says “Just switch back to Netflix and chill” and Kevin nods against his shoulder. 

“Terrible rom-com?” Kevin asks, scrolling through the list before stopping on a movie. Just from the poster, he can already tell this will be horribly generic, and those are always the best ones.

“Terrible rom-com,” Daniel agrees, and Kevin clicks play before haphazardly throws the remote to the side. He leans back on Daniel’s side again, making himself comfortable and even letting out a pleased hum.

It’s actually rather cosy, staying with Kevin like this and all would be perfect if Kevin’s hand isn’t resting on his own. Or maybe it’s perfect because of that, but Kevin seems like he doesn’t even notice the placement, so Daniel keeps his mouth shut.

It is, after all, not the first time they chill like this and fuck, he doesn’t want it to be the last.

* * *

Kevin is freaking the fuck out.

He’s trying to pretend that he doesn’t notice Dan’s hand touching his, but he’s completely hyper-focused on it. He’d pull away, but he’s worried that would make things even weirder. After all, Daniel clearly isn’t bothered by it.

Kevin wonders if he’s reading too much into this entire situation. Every word seems to hang in the weird space between flirting and banter, but Daniel doesn’t seem to be phased by any of it. Hell, even when Kevin literally fed him a piece of chocolate, he treated it like it was nothing out of the ordinary.

He takes a quick glance at Daniel, who’s now fully resting against his shoulder. He’s taken off his suit jacket and undone the top button of his shirt. His hair is messy from the number of times he’s run his hands through it after his Mario Kart defeats. And when he smiles at one of the god awful jokes in the movie, Kevin’s heart skips a beat.

Both of them freeze up when the story takes a turn and the main character gets stood up on a date. It’s Daniel who addresses it first, breaking the silence with an awkward chuckle.

“Jeez, poor bastard,” he says. “Know what that’s like.”

Kevin forces himself to laugh as well, but it comes out a bit strangled. He changes to clearing his throat halfway through. “Uh, yeah. We can turn it off, dude. Sorry.”

“Nah, it’s totally fine.”

Daniel slowly runs his thumb along the side of Kevin’s hand. 

“Y’know, it’s weird. I kinda don’t mind that I got left behind like that. Well, I did. But this has been fun. I mean, it’s kinda like a date, y’know?”

Kevin nearly chokes on air. He can practically hear his mind playing an error message sound. He knows Daniel’s just kidding around, but he sounds far too serious for Kevin to really believe it. Unfortunately, his idiot mouth decides on a response before his brain can come up with something better.

“Uh, yeah, I wish it was!”

Kevin’s eyes widen as if he’s surprised himself with his own stupidity. Daniel doesn’t say anything, but he bites his lip slightly. The noise of the rom-com’s characters making out doesn’t help to ease the tension of the bombshell Kevin just accidentally dropped, either.

They sit in the most painful silence Kevin has ever experienced, neither of them daring to move a muscle. Even the sound of their breathing sounds inappropriately loud.

“Do... do you mean that?” Daniel whispers. It’s so quiet that Kevin barely catches it, but he just about manages.

“Uh. Yes?” Kevin says. His palms have gone sweaty, and he can feel his heart pounding so hard that he swears it will burst out of his chest. “Sorry.”

Daniel turns to face Kevin, his blue eyes sparkling the way they do when he’s about to drop a one-liner or roast Kevin into next week. But this time he doesn’t crack a joke. “You definitely don’t have to apologize, O’Reilly,” he says softly. Kevin feels his face turn red.

“Sorry,” he says automatically.

“God damn it, I said don’t apologize, you idiot,” Daniel says. He’s grinning ear-to-ear. “It’s fine.”

Kevin realizes that his hand is still on top of Daniel’s, and that neither of them has made any effort to move away. “Does that mean...”

“Yeah, we can call this a date. If you want.”

Relief floods Kevin’s body. “I’m okay with that,” he admits. He gently squeezes Daniel’s hand. “Um, you’re not, like, joking, are you?”

Daniel laughs out loud. “No, I’m definitely not fucking joking,” he says in between giggles. “I’m happy it worked out like this.”

Kevin smiles and puts his arm around Daniel’s shoulder, pulling him close. He can hardly focus on the ending scene of the movie with Daniel cuddled up to him like this, but he doesn’t really care. All he can think about is how lucky it was that Daniel’s date never showed up.


End file.
